As I blogged on Tuesday, the Hungarian Presidency of the EU is already creating quite a stir.

Hard on the heels of the European Union disquiet on the media laws recently passed in Hungary, Hungarian PM Viktor Orban yesterday presented the Hungarian Presidency priorities for the next six months.

Standing confidently and defiantly in the Chamber, Mr Orban opened his country’s first presidency of the Council of Ministers by referring to the 1956 uprising and subsequent Communist repression, underlining the “historic justice” in Hungary, the European country which had “given the most blood for freedom” in Europe since World War II, now presiding the Council of the EU.

Such rhetoric coupled with Mr Orban’s commanding presence easily saw off the rantings of one-time student revolutionary Daniel Cohn-Bendit, who now leads the Green Group.

Interest, of course, centred around the media controversy with Socialist and Democrat Leader Martin Schulz stressing that the media law was not in line with European rule of law: ” In democracy it’s the media that scrutinises power. What you are doing is that the power is scrutinizing the media”. He said he didn’t want the topic to dominate the Hungarian Presidency saying “withdraw your act and come back with better new balanced one”.

Orban says he is willing to amend the legislation. Since he has a two-thirds majority in the Hungarian Parliament I think we need to wait and see on this.

And finally….it could only happen in the EU- the country holding the rotating six month presidency becoming embroiled in a serious controversy at the beginning of its term of office. Would that life were more straightforward.

The speech of welcome to Mr. Orban by Nigel Farage in the European Parliament was generous and interesting. He welcomed his denunciation of Communism, acknowledged Hungary’s brave defiance of the USSR and then encouraged Mr. Orban to stand up for his country in the face of its current bullying by the more recent arrived oppressors.

The clip can be seen on

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A pro-European feminist of a pacifist disposition, I have represented the capital in the European Parliament since 2000.

News and views on London, the EU, women’s rights and, of course, the European Parliament will all be covered on my website.